Happy Friday!

I had no plans to take an extended vacation from the blog, but sometimes, things don’t quite go as planned (see #1 below). But even in the craziness of the season (and I’m mostly talking about Cold Season right now, although the Christmas season is starting, too), there have been moments of gratitude and fun and peace. Here are a few things that have been on my mind this week:

1. Health. November was quite the sick month around here. The first symptoms started on November 1, and by December 1, three separate viruses had cycled through our family. I had the worst sinus infection of my life that triggered my first (and hopefully last – fingers crossed) migraine, Husband and I both lost our voices, and BB and BG had coughs that kept them (and us) awake at night. But now, we are all well, and I am feeling grateful for health every day.

2. Rain. I’ve mentioned before that we’re in a drought here in Northern California, but we’ve had so much rain this week. The deficit is still huge, but the feeling that comes with the rain and fog (which is as close as we get to snow) has been a gift – pulling out blankets, lighting candles, drinking tea, and enjoying the quiet. It’s my favorite time of year.

3. You know what pairs well with rain? Red wine. This is awesome.

4. Projects. I haven’t really done any projects lately, but I got out my sewing machine a couple of days ago to make a few repairs, and 10 new ideas came flooding. We have a busy weekend, but I’m hoping to carve out a little time to make something. (Also, I’ve been updating my project pages – check out some of my “style” projects here.)

5. This cracked me up.

What are you up to this weekend? We’ve got three parties scheduled for Saturday, one of which is “fancy dress” and will deserve a post all its own next week, and then there are Christmas plans to be made. Looking forward to lots of fun with our little family. Hope you have a great weekend!